Ken Burns still fighting ‘War’ over inclusion - Celebrity News - MSNBC.com: Last spring, several major Latino organizations, along with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, declared war on Ken Burns’ 15-hour interpretation of World War II. The groups were offended because “The War,” a seven-part series apparently had excluded the Latino experience from what is truly a riveting and compelling documentary on the war that forever changed the world.
Letters were sent, meetings were held and the next thing you knew, the acclaimed documentarian was back in the editing room adding 28 minutes of footage. The new additions included not only two Latino WWII veterans, but a Native American who served as well.
Dr. Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, director of the U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project and co-chair of the DOH group, has done extensive research into the Latino contributions in WWII and is concerned that the added stories aren’t fully flushed out. When you compare them to the more extensive segments featuring white, African-American and Japanese-American veterans, she’s right.
